There aren’t many people with jobs that are more fun than mine, but I’m definitely a bit envious of the team of engineers, designers, and drivers behind the new Singer DLS reimagined Porsche 911. The team, led by Singer Vehicle Design CEO Rob Dickenson, carries a wide range of skills but are joined by the common philosophy that “everything is important”, a concept that gets taken to near-OCD levels with their attention to detail. It’s my firm belief that this new Dynamic Lightweight Study, or DLS, built in conjunction with Williams Engineering, is the best possible version of the 911 ever built. Of course, it’s taken years of sweat equity and sleepless nights to get to the point of having a fully running example which means the fun part – dynamic testing – can begin. To learn about the finer points of the new Singer DLS and what it’s taken to develop the best 911 ever built, visit Road & Track’s website. […]

The International Challenge at Road America (aka the Hawk, the KIC and the July vintage races at Road America) will always be one of, if not my favorite weekends of the year. I started attending yearly with my family in the early nineties and stepped up as a competitor in my 914-6 in the late-nineties keeping the family tradition alive. Of the 16+ times I've raced at the event I can count the number of times I've had significant mechanical issues on three fingers. This past weekend I added a fourth finger into the mix. Humor me for a few minutes as I set the stage. Snugly loaded into the truck, we hit the road for out six hour drive to Road America Wednesday morning I hit the road with my family pointed towards Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, home of Road America, AKA the best place on earth (at least as far as any car guy/gal is concerned). Five of us packed into my pickup with trailer hitched behind us hauling everything including the kitchen sink. Above and beyond the race cars and associated parts we had more food than an all you can eat buffet, bicycles, scooters, life jackets, party rafts (you read that right) and much more. We left on time, made good time and we arrived at the track arguably the earliest we ever have on the Wednesday prior to the big racing weekend. We got our paddock space all setup, and with our work complete at [...]

Recently, the MHCC team spent some time at Road America for a race weekend to most, simply known as “The Hawk.” It’s a vintage road race that I’ve personally attended almost 25 years in a row now, and I can still say that it’s one I look forward to each year. As more and more vintage vehicles seem to fade into private collections, there’s still a large number of unique and amazing racecars to see – so check out our photo recap of the weekend, from the racing action, to the street car concours, and much more! […]

Year after year, since before I could remember, I’ve gone to Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI for the annual mid-July races. It’s had many names over the years, but now everyone simply refers to it as, “The Hawk” which you may have heard people referencing in passing. So, I’ve decided to put some reasons together as to why I think you should make your way East, to Road America for one of the best weekends of the year. […]

Life moves pretty slowly after returning to normal life following a race weekend. That’s a known fact when you’re involved in some manner of motorsports. I was reminded of that last week. Two weekends ago I kicked off the racing season by heading to Road America for the World Racing League CanAm Endurance Cup. The racing activity comprised of an eight-hour race on Saturday and another eight-hour race on Sunday. That’s 16 hours of wheel to wheel racing on what I consider the best race track in America. In other words, it was heaven. A racer’s dream. To top it off the weather was absolutely perfect and the car ran great. That said, the weekend wasn’t without a few hiccups. We kicked off the weekend running through tech For the race my team of amateur endurance racing veterans brought out our trusty orange steed, a 1989 BMW 325i. It’s hard to believe, but the event marked our 9th year running the car we’ve affectionately named the E30 bomber. The bomber has evolved dramatically since its inaugural event at Brainerd many years ago and has morphed into a super reliable and reasonably quick little race car. This event again proved that meticulous maintenance during the off-season makes the racing a lot more fun (because the car runs as expected) during the racing season. Sometimes, however, human error can screw it all up temporarily. Our Motley Crew of petrolheads. From right we have our crew chief Josh, Ben, Erik, [...]

For the second time this year, I loaded up the family into my F150 pickup and headed to Road America with trailer in tow. The destination was the Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival (ELVF), the more laid back of the vintage race weekends there. It had been three years since I last ran this event, historically one of my favorites, and heading back was a little bittersweet. During my last outing I grenaded the engine in my car. In the first session. On my birthday. Thousands upon thousands of dollars later I was back in hopes of making it a successful weekend spent on track and with family. Fortunately, a few things were working in my favor. I had a new engine in the car that had run like a champ in July at Road America. The weather appeared to be some 45 degrees warmer than the low-thirties experienced last time at the event. And better yet, the sun was expected to shine all weekend opposed to the frigid rain endured the last time around. Finally to top it off, I had a three and five year old to assist in the pits. What possibly could go wrong? Junior crew chief in training Benjie helps his dad check the tire pressure Friday was a practice day with a 30-minute morning session and a 30-minute afternoon session. Given work is extra busy right now I spent nearly every minute I was out of the car on my computer working, and as [...]

Every July thousands of auto enthusiasts flock to the small village of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for what you might consider the Midwest’s vintage motorsports mecca. The event, that draws people from far and wide, currently referred to as the WeatherTech International Challenge (WIC) with Brian Redman presented by Hawk, draws a dazzling assortment of nearly 500 race cars. . While the name has changed over the years based on the highest paying corporate sponsor, the event continues to be a showstopper. I’ve made the trip for 20 some consecutive years and will continue to do so for as long as I am able. It’s that good! After a couple agonizing years attending the event as merely a spectator, this past weekend marked my 16th visit as a participant in my 1971 Porsche 914-6. It also marked my first full race weekend back behind the wheel of this car in two and a half years. This particular event is regularly the highlight of my summer, so needless to say I was very excited. After weeks of planning and preparation I packed up my wife and kids and hit the road for Road America on Wednesday morning. As is always the case, the drive always seems longer when you’re excited to get somewhere. It doesn’t help when the five year old in the back seat repeatedly asks, “are we there yet.” I thought this was only something from the movies, but my son proved it was a practice many kids possess. We did [...]

This past weekend was the ELVF (Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival) which brings race and street cars to Road America for a weekend of fun and racing. A yearly tradition for some, the ELVF this year brought wonderful weather, a host of unique Volvo’s and plenty of wheel to wheel racing. I was able to attend this event and for me its has been quite a few years since going to both the HAWK in July, and then attending the ELVF this past weekend. It’s not quite the same as far as the numbers go as the HAWK, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t some exciting racing and plenty of cars to see during a lap around the pits. VSCDA (Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association) was the host for this event and as usual they did an amazing job putting on a seamless event. My dad was running his 1967 Camaro so most of my focus as usual was on the “Group 6” muscle car class, which is always a blast to watch. Sliding through turn 5 and flat out through the kink always makes for some of the best spectating of the weekend. […]

I’ve been going to Road America for the vintage races since I was about eight years old, and it’s something that is pretty special to me. I’ve seen it all, from the famous Group 6 pileup on the front straight, to some of the worlds most exclusive vintage road racing cars and drivers that have ever been around. The 2016 WeatherTech International Challenge with Brian Redman Presented by Hawk was just another great event to add to the books. From the driver’s meeting where Brian Redman told everyone, “Blood is slippery” to the 50th anniversary of the CanAm series, everything just seemed to be right. Where else can you drive around a paddock and see the John Player Special Formula car pitted next to two Audi R8 race cars. That just doesn’t happen every day and that is what makes Road America so special. […]

Every year in the little town of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin a massive amount of noise is made at a little place they call Road America. Not only at the track, but the excitement continues into the streets of Elkhart Lake with concourse shows taking place Friday and Saturday night downtown Elkhart. The sheer volume of people that come out and cheer during the day only feels amplified by the amount of people Friday night at the Nationwide Concours d'Elegance race car parade. Fans can arrive as early as Thursday to the track to take in the sights and sounds of some of the best vintage racing the midwest has to offer. If you're going to buy advanced tickets today is the last day, so once you get those tickets make sure to come out for qualifying on Saturday and then stay around for race day on Sunday. "A mid-summer favorite, The WeatherTech® International Challenge with Brian Redman presented by HAWK is one of the largest vintage racing events in the United States and features over 400 cars competing in several groups." The vintage racing is just one thing you can expect to see along with the celebration of the CAN-AM series 50th anniversary. Also this year will be featuring a special UOP Shadow CAN-AM tribute and Corvair reunion. The shear volume of cars old and new is what makes this event so special and something that truly shouldn't be missed.